McCall’s good news bulletin on Welsh star

SARACENS coach Mark McCall has confirmed that Wales fullback Liam Williams is likely to play a part in tomorrow’s vital European Champions Cup game against Ospreys.

Williams has not featured competitively since sustaining an injury around his groin and hernia while playing for Wales against Georgia on November 18.

His last club match came on October 28 against London Irish.

But Williams trained with the Saracens first-team on Tuesday and Wednesday, with director of rugby Mark McCall delivering a confident verdict on the 26-yearold’s fitness.

“He’s available for selection,” McCall said.

“He’s trained twice and if there are no ill-effects from today’s training session, which was the tougher of the two days, then he’s got a great chance of being involved in the squad.

“We’ve taken our time but he looks pretty good.”

Williams would be thrown in at the deep end against Ospreys, in what is effectively a knock-out fixture in Pool Two.

Saracens, the defending champions, trail their opponents by two points with two games left and know defeat at the Liberty Stadium would all but end their hopes of progress.

“It’s always a calculated gamble to bring someone back who hasn’t played for a bit,” McCall said.

“But I think you do have the odd exceptional player who is able to do that and is good enough for you to want to put that player in. Liam is probably in that category.”

More good news for Wales was the confirmation that back-row forward Ross Moriarty will makes only his second start of the season when Gloucester continue their European Challenge Cup campaign by tackling Agen in France tonight.

Moriarty, who has been troubled by a back problem which forced him out of the British & Irish Lions tour, lines up in a side showing 10 changes from the one beaten by Aviva Premiership opponents Northampton last weekend.

The 23-year-old has played just once for Gloucester this season, in an Anglo-Welsh Cup match in November, but is back three weeks before Wales start their Six Nations campaign against Scotland on Saturday, February 3.

Moriarty will be leaving Gloucester in the summer and returning to Wales after signing with Dragons.